


Fabula Mirabilis

by golden_kimono



Series: DERACINE [1]
Category: Jrock, the GazettE
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Dubious Consent, Fairy Tale Elements, Fantasy, M/M, Oral Sex, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-28
Updated: 2016-07-17
Packaged: 2018-04-06 15:53:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4227825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/golden_kimono/pseuds/golden_kimono
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kai crouched down on a thick branch and pulled the hood of his cape over his eyes more firmly, keeping his gaze on the human down below. He hadn’t seen a human this close to the border in quite some time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [20_fics](http://20-fics.livejournal.com/) on Livejournal, prompt 010 of my claim: "You were spying on me!"
> 
> Inspired by their new look. I intend this to turn into a series set in this universe, with chaptered fics and oneshots.

Kai crouched down on a thick branch and pulled the hood of his cape over his eyes more firmly, keeping his gaze on the human down below. He hadn’t seen a human this close to the border in quite some time, and wondered what he was doing here. Did he understand where he was? What could happen to him? He didn’t know how much was known about this land in the human world, whether anyone even realised the forest was an entryway to a place those without magic should avoid.

Not everyone was dangerous, Kai being one of the more mild-mannered ones of his kind, but there were also those like Prince Uruha, of the elves, who was often friendly, but once he was angry, everyone knew to take cover. And there was Ruki, an extremely powerful nymph, but not being female – as nymphs were meant to be – he had more power than he probably should, and didn’t always use it for good. It was funny how Reita, who had the most terrifying appearance, was in fact calmer than those two, only attacking when being attacked, though this human might not realise this and react stupidly.

Kai liked humans, for the most part, and this one was pretty. Too pretty to be the victim of anyone here. However, Kai knew that, to keep their secret, humans were often either made to stay among them or murdered. And so he was watching him, looking out for him, in hopes that this one would make his way home.

His eyes widened and he retreated between the leaves when the human looked up at where he was, his heart pounding at the idea of having been caught. He held his breath and slowly looked out again, yelping when an arrow just avoided his head, followed by a shout from the man on the ground.

“You’re spying on me!”

Kai carefully poked his head out. “It’s not safe for you here!” he called out. “Leave, quickly.” He ducked to the side when another arrow flew by. “Hey!”

“Show yourself!”

Kai hesitated, but a glance at the man’s stubborn face told him he wouldn’t leave until he had seen his spy. He sighed and jumped to the ground, holding up his hands so the human would see he didn’t have any weapons.

“Why were you following me?” the man asked, narrowing his eyes. “Speak!”

Kai frowned, suddenly less impressed with this person. He was pretty, yes, but his attitude stank. Kai was no simpleton and he didn’t appreciate being treated like one. In his world he and his people were respected, known to have incredible powers, though they rarely used them on the creatures in their land, and even though there was no way this person could know that, to simply assume everyone was beneath him rubbed Kai in all the wrong ways. No one was ever truly less than anyone else, in Kai’s view – everyone was important in the course of things.

“Why are you here?” he countered. “This is not your land, your territory. You don’t belong here.”

The man scoffed and curled his lip. “I have as much right to be here as you, perhaps even more. My King owns these lands.”

Kai shook his head. “No, your King owns the lands outside these forests. You have stepped into my land, my home, and you’re not safe here. I was merely looking out for you, because most who have entered this place haven’t left.”

“You don’t know me,” the man said suspiciously, looking Kai up and down. “Why would you help me?”

Kai shrugged, unsure how to answer that question without sounding like a stalker. “I’ve seen awful things happen to people like you before and I’ve never liked it. I don’t believe in using violence, unless there truly is no other way.”

The man snorted and placed his bow on his back. “A pacifist. Amusing.”

Kai frowned at the human from under his hood. He was getting more unattractive with every word that left his lips, which was a shame. Ruki often sneered that the human race was inferior, something Kai had never agreed with, but he was starting to believe that perhaps there was truth to it for some.

“I’m pleased you find my non-violent nature laughable,” he said coldly. If he were any crueller, he would leave, because clearly this human didn’t want his help. However, he knew all too well what the outcome would be if he did that.

“In this world choosing peace will kill you,” the man said seriously.

“In _your_ world,” Kai corrected him. “Here we treasure our peace.” Interrupting that peace, however, was what usually got people killed, and Kai feared that this was exactly what this human was up to. “Why are you here?” he asked curiously, feeling like perhaps he should have figured this out before he tried to protect him.

The man shrugged, as though it didn’t matter. “I’m an explorer. No one could tell me anything about these woods, so I decided to find out what was here for myself.” He eyed Kai, his head tilted. “So you claim to live here?”

The mocking tone in his voice annoyed Kai to no end. “I _do_ live here,” he snapped, pulling his hood down to glare at the man properly and to give him a piece of his mind. “I understand your curiosity, but we’re not here to be gawked at and ‘explored’, as you put it.”

“I don’t intend to explore _you_ ,” the human said haughtily. His eyes travelled over Kai’s face before lingering on his necklace, a smirk spreading across his face. “Well, unless you’d ask very nicely.”

Kai narrowed his eyes. “I don’t know who you are, but-”

“You can call me Aoi,” the human replied nonchalantly. “It’s how most people know me.”

Kai blinked, unsure how to reply to that. ‘Aoi’ was a nice name, though, he thought, though he’d hate to ever admit it out loud. He wasn’t sure if he dared share his own name, but in the end he decided he might as well, since it didn’t appear as though Aoi would leave him alone any time soon (which was his own fault, of course).

“My name is Kai,” he said resignedly. “And I am an incubus.”

Aoi burst out laughing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kai quickly grows to regret ever helping Aoi, though he finds a way to make him more tolerable soon enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for [20_fics](http://20-fics.livejournal.com/) on Livejournal, prompt 018 of my claim: "I don't believe you."

Kai clenched his teeth impatiently, pushing his way through the undergrowth and cursing himself for ever showing any interest in humanity. Of course it couldn’t be helped, given his background – as an incubus, he spent most of his nights with humans, after all, crawling into their homes, their beds, giving and receiving as much pleasure as he could. However, he should have never taken an interest in Aoi; that much was clear.

After Aoi had finished laughing at him, he had merely smirked and regarded Kai with obvious mockery. “I don’t believe you,” had been all he had said, and although he could hardly be blamed for this, he was being a tad too smug and arrogant in his convictions. He had tried to push past Kai to explore the forests anyway, until Kai had agreed to guide him through there, in hopes that he could perhaps show him that he was telling the truth – and to keep him safe.

Of course Aoi hadn’t joined him quietly. He seemed to comment on everything and had laughed heartily when they had run into some ogres. Admittedly they hadn’t been the prettiest bunch – although Kai firmly believed beauty was subjective – but they hadn’t taken kindly to Aoi’s reaction. Their respect for Kai had kept them from attacking, although they had given the incubus some dirty looks, muttering about filthy humans as they walked on.

It wasn’t hard to tell Aoi was human. Although he didn’t look terribly different from Kai – who resembled humankind quite closely – he reeked of humanity. And so everyone had stared at them, from the fairies in the trees to the mermaids that had quickly ducked below water, leaving Aoi to stare at the circles they had left behind with some confusion.

“Oi, Kai!”

Kai closed his eyes and counted to ten before turning around to face Ruki, forcing a smile on his face when the nymph moved closer to him, his hands on his hips. Reita wasn’t far away, and Kai nodded his head at him in greeting, receiving a bow in return. He had always liked Reita: he was clever and helpful, and thought respect and perspective were two of the most important things in life.

As for Ruki… He liked him enough, but the nymph had a tendency to stick his nose where it didn’t belong. Usually this wasn’t too horrible, though with Aoi in the equation he was worried what would happen next. He held up his hand to keep Aoi from speaking when he appeared beside him, an order that was surprisingly obeyed.

“Why did you bring a human?” Ruki asked, wrinkling his nose as he looked Aoi up and down. “I thought we agreed to leave them out of our world.”

“He seemed intent on finding his way in,” Kai replied with a sigh. “I figured it would be easier if I led him instead of allowing him to blunder about on his own.”

“Who’re you?” Aoi asked as he stared at Ruki, interrupting their conversation without a care in the world. “Another ogre?”

Ruki bristled indignantly while Reita edged forward quickly, looking at Aoi with clear disapproval. Kai winced internally, but before he could correct Aoi’s mistake – or joke, perhaps; his eyes seemed filled with amusement – Ruki spoke up once again.

“I am a nymph,” he declared proudly, his chin held high.

Aoi raised his eyebrows, an unsure grin spreading across his face. “Okay… Aren’t nymphs meant to be women?” His gaze dropped to Ruki’s robes, as though he’d be able to see through them and find out.

“Yes, well, I’m not,” Ruki snapped, his eyes flashing dangerously when Aoi’s eyes lingered on his chest.

Kai quickly stepped in front of Aoi and lowered his head. “Forgive him, he doesn’t understand our world yet.” He then glared at Aoi over his shoulder. “Ruki is a rare case, but he _is_ a nymph. One of our most powerful, in fact.”

This seemed to appease Ruki, at least, although it was obvious he still didn’t trust Aoi at all. “Is he staying long?” he asked Kai bluntly.

“I- I don’t know yet,” Kai admitted. “I assume he’ll have a look around before he leaves.” Or so he desperately hoped; he didn’t think he could stand to have Aoi around for too long, not if this was what he could expect every time they spoke to anyone.

“Humans don’t leave,” Reita commented, his sharp eyes keeping a close watch on Aoi. “They stay voluntarily or die.”

Kai froze and looked over at a startled Aoi. Although Reita was correct, Kai didn’t believe this should necessarily be the case now, because as annoying as Aoi might be, he didn’t deserve to die, while it was also fairly obvious he shouldn’t stick around. Ruki merely grinned evilly at Aoi’s facial expression.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure we can convince the elders to let you leave,” Kai assured him.

“The elders never change the rules,” Reita declared solemnly. “He can’t be allowed to tell people about our world.”

“And you are?” Aoi asked rudely, although this time Kai could tell the rudeness was a consequence of his fear. Not that this excused it entirely, in his opinion, but at least Aoi wasn’t being rude simply for the sake of it.

“His name is Reita,” Ruki answered before Reita himself could. “He’s a phoenix.”

Aoi stared at Ruki before staring at Reita for a very long time. “Where are his feathers?”

“He’s not always in his bird form, you fool,” Ruki snarled.

Kai knew enough about the human world to know that Aoi had only ever heard of phoenixes as being beautiful, magnificent birds, so in this case he couldn’t be angry him for not understanding. Still, he wished Aoi were a little more tactful about it. Luckily, Reita didn’t seem to be too bothered, instead transforming into his other form and flying over to sit on Ruki’s shoulder.

“You can touch him if you want,” Kai told Aoi, gesturing over at Reita when the human merely stared in awe.

For a brief moment, Kai was worried Aoi would be cheeky and touch Ruki instead, but he stuck to running a finger down Reita’s feathery head, retreating quickly as though he had been burned. “He feels _real_ ,” Aoi whispered, a hint of panic in his voice.

“He _is_ real,” Kai explained patiently. “I told you I was telling the truth, didn’t I?”

Ruki chuckled, catching their attention once more. He reminded Kai of a pirate in his current stance, although Reita was decidedly larger than any parrot Kai had ever seen. “You know, perhaps he really should stay,” Ruki mused. “I have a feeling it might be fun.” He began to turn away from them, then threw them a smirk. “Wait till he meets Uruha!”

And with those words, he was off, leaving Aoi to gaze at Kai fearfully, no doubt wondering who on earth Uruha could be. Honestly, Kai didn’t think he’d be too scared of him – not at first sight, anyway – but perhaps it was best if they left him till later: his people had a history with humankind that didn’t exactly make him too fond of humans.

“Why don’t we go to my place?” Kai suggested, attempting to offer a comforting smile. At least Aoi seemed more tolerable when he was terrified, so it should be easier to be kind to him in this state.

“I- yes, that seems like a good idea,” Aoi muttered, his eyes taking in the trees around them, as though someone would jump out at them and attack (which, to be quite fair, was a possibility, especially if word had spread). Then Aoi turned his eyes back to Kai and looked him up and down suspiciously. “…Unless you’re just trying to get me into your bed.”

Kai rolled his eyes surreptitiously; apparently he had cheered too soon. “I’m an incubus. I don’t need to try.” He moved forward, jerking his head for Aoi to follow him, which he did with only slight hesitation. “Besides, you’re not my type,” he added casually, to which Aoi snorted and flicked his hair from his face.

“You keep telling yourself that.”

Pausing, Kai glanced over at Aoi in confusion. “Do you _want_ to be my type?”

Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but Kai was certain a red flush appeared in Aoi’s cheeks.

“No!” Aoi scoffed and crossed his arms, attempting to hide his embarrassment. “I’m just saying, I’ve seen the way you look at me.”

“In annoyance?” Kai suggested. “Despair? Regret that I brought you here?” He stopped to allow a group of goblins to cross before them, nodding at them politely as he tried not to laugh at how Aoi stumbled backwards when he caught sight of them. Aoi’s reaction was expected: even Kai had been frightened of them when he was little.

“Why is it,” Aoi asked when they walked on, “that some of you look like humans, when others don’t at all?”

Kai smiled to himself, glad that Aoi was showing some genuine interest at last. “You know,” he said as he grinned over at him, “that’s actually a very good question.” He pushed aside a branch and stepped into a large clearing, glad that no one seemed to be around when they were so close to his home; there was actually a chance they’d be able to get there without Aoi offending anyone else.

“Some are humanlike, in a way,” Kai explained. “Like elves and nymphs: they naturally resemble humans, though of course a human would be able to tell something isn’t quite right straight away. It differs per specific species, of course: some nymphs have green skin, for example, and not all elves have pointed ears. Incubi and succubi are often barely distinguishable from humankind, because it makes it much easier for us. I mean, there are some who have a more sinister appearance, but that tends to put people off.”

“That makes sense,” Aoi mused. “I know I wouldn’t sleep with someone who looks like those ogres from earlier.”

Kai’s lips twitched despite him telling himself he shouldn’t be amused. “Yes, well, that’s what my kind realised fairly early on as well.” He pointed at a group of huts on the other side of the clearing. “I live in one of those, so we’re nearly there. Anyway, some creatures simply look different, that’s all. And there are some who can choose their appearance, like Reita. He’s been around for a long time and possesses some ancient magic that allows him to transform into a human being at will, though I’ve heard it took him several rebirths to learn and perfect it. It’s what he usually does when he’s around friends, to make it easier for us.”

Aoi nodded as though he understood completely, though Kai was fairly certain he could hear his brain churn in an attempt to digest all the information. It _was_ quite a bit to take in, of course: a few hours ago Aoi hadn’t even considered the possibility of anyone in this world existing, and now he was heading home with an incubus after touching a phoenix; most likely this wasn’t what the explorer had expected his day to be like.

A wave of relief swept over Kai when they arrived at his home. He opened the door, only to be stopped by an unsure “erm” from Aoi. Raising his eyebrows, Kai looked over at him, wondering what the problem was now. Had he expected Kai to live somewhere fancier? Or the opposite: somewhere more attuned to nature? Ruki did, he knew: he resided in a den near the river, though he kept the precise location hidden. And Prince Uruha and his people lived in a valley, surrounded by mountains and forests. They tended to sleep in large trees, which they had transformed into comfortable living and sleeping areas.

The incubi, however, resided in huts, or cabins, rather. Kai had visited summer camps once or twice in his existence, and the living arrangements were quite similar. He supposed their close relationship to humans and their frequent visits to the human world played a part in this. Kai even had a small kitchen and a bathroom, although the kitchen worked on gas only and the bathroom was somewhat tricky, considering there was no plumbing.

“It’s just…” Aoi cleared his throat and glanced at Kai before quickly turning his gaze to the door opening. “What exactly will we do in there?”

Ah. So that was the problem. Kai grinned and leaned against the doorpost, enjoying how nervous Aoi seemed to be. “Don’t worry, your virtue is safe with me. I told you that already, remember? But if you think you’ll be safer out there on your own, then by all means…”

Aoi looked behind him, then quickly shuffled forward, mumbling that he’d stick around and brushing past Kai as he made his way inside.

“Good,” Kai said as he closed the door behind him, “because Reita was right: humans rarely leave this place. The elders will undoubtedly have heard about you by now and it’s only a matter of time before they find you. Then they’ll decide your fate, and if you insult them – as you’ve insulted everyone so far – I can already tell you what it will be.”

“They wouldn’t actually kill me, would they?” Aoi asked, a nervous chuckle escaping his lips as he lowered himself onto a chair. “Not if I haven’t done anything?”

Kai sighed and took off his cape, tossing it on his bed. Of course Kai didn’t think they’d take such drastic measures immediately, but perhaps it was better to make Aoi sweat a little so that he’d at least behave once he had to meet them. It was true, however that the elders were set in their ways and they looked out for their own people first and foremost.

“Just… be careful,” he warned, before heading towards the kitchen – which was in the same room. “Would you care for a drink?”

“Would I- _really_ , you think drinks are on my mind right now?” Aoi spluttered, appearing genuinely befuddled.

“Well, what _is_ on your mind then?” Kai asked kindly as he poured them both some water anyway. “I can imagine that you still have many questions, but I shall do my best to answer them.”

Aoi accepted the water almost absent-mindedly. “Why did the nymph tell me to watch out for this Uruha person?”

“Ruki,” Kai corrected as he sat down, giving Aoi a small frown, “not ‘the nymph’. Ruki was talking about Prince Uruha, of the elves. Their population is rather large and influential, and seeing how he will lead them one day, he understandably has much power. What, why are you laughing?”

To his surprise, Aoi was chuckling a mile away, more relaxed now than he had been, though Kai couldn’t figure out why.

“Oh, come on, an elf?” Aoi finally managed to spit out, his black eyes shining with mirth. “Is that meant to scare me?”

Kai wanted to point out that he had seemed scared enough before, when faced with nothing more than a tiny nymph and a bird, and if Uruha wished, he could bring an entire army with him (not that he’d need to). He chose not to, for now. Instead, he delivered a different truth.

“Prince Uruha’s family has been under attack from humans in the past,” he explained softly, his expression pained as he recalled how awful it had been. So many lives lost, all because the elves had beauty and wisdom far beyond those humans’ comprehension. “Elves don’t generally fight, but they’ve learned to do so, and Prince Uruha is one of the best.” He placed his arms on his knees and leaned forward to look straight at Aoi.

“The elders might decide your fate, but they won’t be the ones to execute it. Anger Prince Uruha, and he might not even wait for their decision.”

Aoi swallowed audibly, demure once again as he watched Kai calmly sip his water, trying to hide his grin. Oh yes, fear definitely made Aoi easier to tolerate.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for [20_fics](http://20-fics.livejournal.com/) on Livejournal, prompt 009 of my claim: "I feel like someone’s sitting on my chest and holding me down." This is mostly smut, but it explains a few things about Kai as well, so I hope it's not entirely useless.

“Where are you going?”

Kai swirled around at the question, holding his hand to his chest. He sighed inwardly when he saw Aoi before him, arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed, looking more awake than Kai would’ve imagined, considering he had appeared to be asleep just moments ago. Then again, it had taken Aoi a long time to fall asleep to begin with as his fear hadn’t subsided just yet, so he had most likely been sleeping very, very lightly. A wise decision.

“I need to feed,” Kai explained. “Incubi must feed regularly, otherwise our demon side starts to take over or, in the worst case, we die. And I think you’ll agree that you need me around to remain safe.”

“Why do you need to leave to feed?” Aoi demanded. “Don’t you have any food around here?”

Rubbing his temples, Kai leaned against the door before gesturing for Aoi to sit down on his bed (he had allowed the human to use the bed in his spare room). “I don’t mean feeding in this sense of eating,” he elaborated. “I mean feeding as in sex.” Aoi’s expression told him that explanation wasn’t good enough, so he figured he might as well share the truth about his species with him.

“Incubi feed on souls.” He ignored Aoi’s sickened expression and ploughed onwards before he could comment. “Not necessarily entire souls, small parts will do. And every time we have sex, we take a part of the other person’s soul. It’s why I usually don’t return to the same human too often, because although humans can often survive without a full soul, they generally can’t survive if they don’t have one at all.”

“You eat souls?!” Aoi shook his head in disgust. “That’s so fucked up.”

“It’s kind of like taking blood,” Kai shrugged. Honestly, it wasn’t a big a deal as humans seemed to assume. “Take too much or too often and you kill someone, which admittedly some incubi do, but if you’re careful about it, it doesn’t make a difference. I never pretended to be a saint,” he reminded Aoi, “but I’m not pure evil either.”

Aoi scoffed. “Which is why you were going to leave me _on my own_ when people are after me.”

“My home is protected by magic, and if anyone were to breach the premises, I’d know,” Kai said plainly. “I’d return immediately. Besides,” he glanced towards the window, “I’ve asked Reita to keep an eye out.”

One of the perks of being an Incubus – and a perk of being a phoenix, or perhaps simply of being Reita, as well – was that mental communication was much simpler. Besides, he trusted Reita. Whether he liked Aoi or not, Reita would make sure no harm came to him for now, because Reita trusted Kai – and his judgement – in return. And if Kai felt Aoi was worth protecting, Reita would do his best to ensure his safety.

When Aoi began to protest, Kai held up his hand. “Reita is a good man. And it’s not as though I can take you with me.”

“Then feed another time,” Aoi replied.

“I can’t.” Kai ran his hands through his hair and took a deep breath. “Look, you being here means my hunger is worse than usual. Being around humans for too long without feeding tends to do that to us. There have been stories of incubi falling in love with humans and remaining around them, and if they were lucky and the human could handle it, sex was near enough all on their agenda because of the vicinity. So unless you’re willing to give yourself to me, this is our only option without this ending with me seducing you.”

Aoi bit his lip, then leaned back on his hands hesitantly. “Well… Wouldn’t it be easier if I did? I mean, you wouldn’t have to go anywhere…”

Kai blinked. That was not the answer he had expected. “Wait… What?”

In response, Aoi scooted backwards on the bed and looked at Kai expectantly. “Don’t you want to? I know you’re at least kind of attracted to me, and you’re not bad to look at either. And…” He bit his lip and spread his legs, revealing the bulge in his pants. “I’ve been thinking about it… About you… I don’t know why, but I can’t stop. Can’t you show me what it would be like?”

Kai stared at Aoi in wonder, and then he realised there had been a major oversight: humans could be affected by incubi even when their powers weren’t operating in full. Somehow he hadn’t considered Aoi to be like this, although looking back the signs had been there, with the flirty comments, and how he had been willing to follow Kai almost blindly. Considering his initial scepticism, it hadn’t made sense to begin with.

It was tempting to take Aoi up on it. It _would_ be easier, and he’d be lying if he said Aoi was unattractive, but he’d hate to be stuck with an even more impossible Aoi in the morning because of him regretting it afterwards.

“ _Please_ ,” Aoi sighed, running his hands over his stomach. “I promise I’ll like it.”

“Oh, you would,” Kai agreed as he stalked over to the bed, his eyes fixated on Aoi’s form. “And I would too. It’s what happens afterwards that I’m worried about.”

Aoi licked his lips slowly and dipped his fingers down his pants (Kai’s pants, really, that he had loaned Aoi to sleep in, but that thought did nothing to clear Kai’s brain). “If you make me feel good, I won’t be mad,” he mumbled.

Kai was running out of excuses, too distracted by the movement of Aoi’s hand beneath his now very tented trousers. Besides, he reminded himself, this was what he did. If he had entered a home and Aoi had been the inhabitant, he wouldn’t have hesitated for even a second. And even if Aoi got angry in the morning, it wasn’t as though he had anywhere else to go (plus, Aoi shouldn’t be his responsibility anyway).

Having made up his mind, Kai stood at the edge of the bed and watched Aoi a few moments longer, feeling his own arousal grow. Then he placed his knee between Aoi’s still spread legs and his hand on Aoi’s thigh, making the other moan softly.

Licking his lips, Kai glanced downwards and stopped Aoi from touching himself any longer with a touch to his wrist. “Why don’t you let me,” he whispered, his fingers tracing the outline of Aoi’s hard length. A shaky breath from Aoi drew his attention, making him lift his head.

One of Aoi’s arms was thrown over his eyes, his lips parted as he panted softly. “I feel like someone’s sitting on my chest and holding me down,” he mumbled, “but I also feel like you could help.”

Kai grinned to himself. That was what humans generally felt when fully under the influence of an incubus, before pleasure took over. Slithering down to the floor, Kai tugged at Aoi’s legs to drag him closer, wanting to taste him. Contrary to popular belief, incubi didn’t always choose penetrative sex, and although Kai didn’t give blowjobs frequently (he preferred to use his hands and his cock), he felt the urge to do so now.

After he pulled down Aoi’s pants, he placed his palms flat on the other’s thighs and slid them upwards to his hips. He took Aoi’s length in his hand and held it upright so he could kiss from bottom to top, enjoying the little gasps leaving Aoi’s mouth as he did so. When he took the shaft in his mouth, the other bucked his hips and moaned as the action made him slide deeper inside.

Kai blessed his lack of gag reflex as he allowed Aoi to thrust upwards, his tongue stroking along the hardness. He usually preferred going down on women over men, preferring their taste and texture, but Aoi… He actually enjoyed how Aoi felt in his mouth, enjoyed how his cock nudged the back of his throat, how his deep groans echoed throughout the room, his hands grasping at Kai’s hair. Then again, he had never been with a human who had been this affected before (that he could recall); perhaps it had an effect on him as well.

Moaning shamelessly around Aoi’s length, Kai shoved his own pants down as far as he could one-handedly and stroked himself fast as he allowed Aoi to fuck his mouth, feeling his powers increase as he fed. Soon, he heard a loud, breathy ‘oh!’, followed by Aoi’s salty essence hitting his tongue, the other’s cock twitching between his lips as Kai sucked him through orgasm as he tried to reach his own.

Once Kai had come as well, he let Aoi’s softening member slide out and swallowed what he could, wiping his hand on the pants Aoi had worn previously – it wasn’t as though he’d need them right now.

Now properly fed and sated, he climbed onto his bed beside Aoi, who scooted into a more comfortable position. The human was clearly exhausted, both the sex and Kai feeding on his soul having had a draining effect, and it looked like he’d finally be able to sleep now.

“Move for a second,” Kai murmured as he nudged Aoi slightly and attempted to pull the covers over them; he didn’t get cold easily himself, but the forest could get chilly at night and he knew humans needed something proper to keep them warm. He covered them both and watched Aoi curl onto his side, his eyelids fluttering as he tried to stay awake.

Kai smiled and settled down, his eyes on Aoi’s face. “You can sleep now,” he promised softly. “I’m not going anywhere, so I’ll keep you safe.” At least until morning, when Aoi would surely yell at him over this little episode.

For now, he was too sleepy himself to really care about such a thing, and he dozed off to the sound of Aoi’s breathing.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for [20_fics](http://20-fics.livejournal.com/) on Livejournal, prompt 003 of my claim: "I don't care."

Pouring himself some water, Kai snuck a glance at Aoi. The human was still asleep, breathing deeply and peacefully. His bare legs were tangled in the sheets and Kai had been tempted by the view more than once: Aoi’s shirt had ridden up during the night, exposing his bare bottom half. Images of him crawling into bed with him and sliding inside had popped up in Kai’s mind, but he knew very well that this would be a dreadful idea.

He also knew last night shouldn’t have happened, knew he should’ve told Aoi ‘no’, but the other man was extremely attractive and naturally seductive and hearing him beg had done nothing to tame Kai’s arousal – or to clear his mind. Instead, he had barely been able to resist doing more. And now he was left to contemplate, perhaps even regret, his actions.

It wasn’t that he _cared_ about Aoi, not beyond mere appreciation for his looks and because he cared about humanity and life in general, but he also knew that what he did was not exactly consensual. He generally worked on seduction first, his powers of course helping in the process, but last night had been different. Aoi had gone from wanting to avoid him to wanting to fuck him, and Kai hadn’t even done anything to cause him to feel this way, which meant he must have been using his powers on him unknowingly. Not completely uncommon, yet new to him.

Granted, the way he had rationalised it last night still remained true, but he had a strong suspicion that Aoi wouldn’t see it the same way. Not to mention the fact that it had been a shock to Kai himself: usually he wasn’t the one who lost control of himself, yet last night he had done as soon as Aoi had suggested he stay with him. Oh, it had been subtle, but Kai knew himself well enough to know last night had not been truly him.

Sighing, he put down his glass and stepped over to the bed, ready to wake Aoi up. After all, there was always a chance that Uruha – or someone else – was making his way over, and he’d rather get this situation behind them before more drama appeared on the scene and complicated things further. Plus, he was getting rather impatient by now and just wanted to see where they’d go from here.

He shook Aoi’s shoulder and in response the human stirred and rolled onto his back, his features smoothed out and lips parted. He looked almost cute. Kai stopped in his tracks and tilted his head, correcting himself mentally: Aoi was _incredibly_ cute. When he wasn’t speaking, at least. An odd sensation passed through Kai as he watched him, one that almost felt like guilt.

Sure, Aoi had been rude, but he had also been confused and he hadn’t asked for any of this to happen. Perhaps Kai could have been stronger in his resistance somehow to spare him from this. Telling himself that it shouldn’t matter, Kai shook Aoi again and called out his name until the other blinked his eyes open, the dark orbs meeting Kai’s.

“What?” Aoi croaked, furrowing his eyebrows in annoyance. Clearly (and unsurprisingly), he wasn’t much of a morning person. 

“Ah, good morning.” Kai stood back to give Aoi room to sit up. Now that he was actually faced with him, he found it much more difficult to start the conversation, the realisation of what had happened only growing. “Would you like breakfast?”

Reita had shown up earlier this morning with human food, though Kai hadn’t dared to ask him how he’d gotten it. All he knew was that Reita had left during the night once he’d realised Kai wasn’t going anywhere and he had brought the food because Ruki had told him Aoi would need it. Sometimes it was easy to forget that Ruki could be caring and kind, as he so rarely interacted with anyone. Although he most likely didn’t care about Aoi, he was close to Kai and that must have been enough for him to offer help. Either that, or he simply wanted to make sure Aoi remained alive and well to experience every horrid thing this world had to show him.

“What have you got?” Aoi grunted as he scooted over to the edge of the bed.

“Erm…” Kai grabbed the bag Reita had given him, glanced into it and then shoved it into Aoi’s hands. “Why don’t you look, I don’t know what you like. I could see fruit, bread and I think cheese… The basics.”

Kai watched Aoi pull out an orange and start peeling it, not speaking as he ate. It made Kai wonder: did he simply not want to speak about it? Or did he perhaps not even remember what had happened? Kai knew humans sometimes recalled an incubus meeting as being a mere dream, their minds unable or unwilling to process the reality of it all.

He cleared his throat and knelt down before Aoi, his eyes lingering on the naked thighs and travelling upwards to where it only barely covered his- “How are you feeling? Did you sleep well?”

Aoi hummed and shifted his legs apart as he got more comfortable. He snorted when Kai’s head dropped down to look before he forcibly averted his eyes. “What, you’re shy now?” he asked, almost as though he were mocking him. “You saw more last night and it didn’t seem to bother you then.”

That answered that question. The undercurrent of anger was clearly audible in his voice, making Kai squeeze his eyes shut for a moment. “So you remember.”

Aoi cocked an eyebrow, anger evident in his gaze. “Pretty hard to forget.” He leaned forward and caught Kai’s eyes, glaring at him intently. “Do you mind explaining what the hell that was about? You were meant to look out for me, were you not? Not to take advantage of me.”

“I…” Kai took a deep breath and rubbed a hand down his face as he tried to think of a way to explain himself that would be acceptable to the other. “Honestly, this is simply what I do. I wasn’t even planning on including you.”

“You gave in quickly,” Aoi pointed out as he adjusted himself on the bed so the duvet covered his legs. “If you really didn’t want to do it, you would have ignored me and left after all.”

Kai scoffed and crossed his arms with a wry look. “You’ve never seen yourself, have you? It was impossible to ignore you once you started your seduction sequence.” He held up his hands when Aoi threw him a very dirty look. “It was still wrong, I know. I’m sorry. To be completely honest with you, I don’t quite know what happened either.”

Aoi didn’t look like he believed him, yet his glare nonetheless lessened in intensity. “You’re not human, I don’t expect you to understand,” he muttered. “It was like I was drunk, but not. I wanted it, _really_ wanted it, but I didn’t know _why_. Almost like…” He licked his lips as he squinted thoughtfully.

“A dream?” Kai offered. He smiled when Aoi nodded slowly. “I’ve heard that before. It’s the effect of an incubus, though this was the first time it happened unintentionally on my part. I’m not even sure how,” he admitted, “but I promise you it won’t again.”

Aoi furrowed his eyebrows. “If it was unintentional, then how can you make such a promise?”

Unable to come up with a satisfying response, Kai simply shrugged and stared at the floor, not saying anything at all.

 

After Aoi had eaten a bit more and had had a wash, conversation between them had grown less stilted, though it was still sufficiently awkward. Kai had stopped attempting to understand his reactions to Aoi, as he didn’t think there was any explanation that would satisfy him anyway. Aoi, on his part, had agreed to stay with Kai – not something that had taken much convincing, as he knew he stood no chance out there on his own and no one else would be willing to take him under their wing.

Aoi had asked why he couldn’t just _try_ to leave – surely him being able to enter the land so easily meant he could leave without any guards dragging him away? Unfortunately, Kai had had to explain to him that it wasn’t that simple: the borders were protected by magic and any invasion by humans was registered. The only reason Aoi hadn’t been caught yet was because he was with Kai, who, as a magical being, could keep an eye on him until the elders or the elves got involved. If Kai hadn’t approached him, however, someone else would have. There had also been cases of humans successfully escaping, only for them to be traced down soon after and destroyed, along with anyone they had told about their discovery (or anyone they _could_ have told). 

A knock on the door startled them both as Kai was speaking of the times entire groups of humans had gone missing all because one of them had made the mistake of leaving (and entering) the magical realm without permission. Kai glanced over at Aoi worriedly, then slowly walked over the door, crossing his fingers in hopes it was someone kind.

He peeked through a crack in the door, then frowned and pulled it open fully when he saw who it was. “Ruki?”

“No time for pleasantries,” Ruki said bluntly as he stepped inside and firmly closed the door. “It’s happened: Uruha found out about him.” He nodded over to Aoi, who threw up his hands.

“I have a name!”

Ruki waved him off. “Great, I don’t care.” He looked back at Kai, turning his back on an offended Aoi. “Reita had a look and Uruha is on his way right now. He’s close. I thought you should know.”

Kai nodded and smiled faintly, appreciating the warning. “Thank you for telling me.” There wasn’t much Kai could do, because to leave would only be suspicious, but at least it meant he could prepare for his visit – and, more importantly, prepare Aoi. He only wished Uruha would hear him out before jumping to conclusions and stabbing Aoi through the heart.

“I know you’d warn me if anyone came to find me,” was Ruki’s simple reply. Kai knew exactly who ‘anyone’ might be and he also knew it was true: Kai had helped the nymph out before and he’d certainly do so again, despite how mad he sometimes drove him. They had formed a friendship of sorts over the years, though it was completely different from his friendship with Reita (understandably so, considering the circumstances under which they had met).

Aoi cleared his throat, demanding their attention once more. He had an annoyed look on his face, though there was obvious fear underneath. “So what do we do now? You guys told me he’s dangerous.”

“You shut up and listen to Kai,” Ruki growled, his eyes narrowing dangerously, “that’s what you do.”

Kai shrugged when Aoi glimpsed over at him. “He has a point. If you speak to Prince Uruha the way you’ve spoken to Ruki, he won’t be nearly as forgiving. He knows me, so let me speak to him and… We’ll find a way to explain this.”

“Without me dying?” Aoi asked hastily.

Ruki crossed his arms, a smug smirk on his face as he looked Aoi up and down. “It’s nice to see Uruha inflict fear even in those who don’t know who he is.”

“We should get ready,” Kai said with a sigh, interrupting any argument before it could break out. Besides, there was no point in wasting time now, as they’d need every second. “Are you staying or…?” Kai posed this question more out of politeness than actual wonder, as he already knew what the answer would be. And indeed, Ruki was quick to decline.

“I’ll visit you later to see how it went,” Ruki promised before he left. “Try not to get killed.” He paused, eyes flickering over to Aoi. “Either of you.”

Kai watched him disappear into the thick of the forest, feeling dread rather than anything else. Ruki would undoubtedly send Reita to check up on him from a distance, but there was nothing either of them could do unless they had a death wish. Not that it truly mattered for Reita whether he lived or died, but Kai would much prefer it if they didn’t need to go through that hassle.

He shut the door with a soft click and turned back around to face Aoi, who was fidgeting nervously, eyes darting around the room. Taking a deep breath, Kai stepped over to him and placed his hands on Aoi’s shoulders, ignoring the way the human jumped at the motion.

“I know you don’t trust me, and I don’t blame you, but right now I’m your best bet. Uruha likes me – hopefully this means he’ll speak to me instead of attacking you. Don’t say anything unless I prompt you to, it’s safer that way. If he speaks to you directly, look to me, which he might see as submission and he will respect this.”

Aoi bristled at this. “Are you serious?!”

Kai nodded gravely. He understood Aoi’s anger, but he also knew Uruha would expect the other to know his place – which, in this land, was incredibly low. “Very. As I told you, Prince Uruha thinks extremely lowly of humans. I know you’re not all dangerous and evil, but he doesn’t, and he will see you in a much more positive light if you acknowledge that you aren’t on the same level as him and if you show obedience towards him – and me, as I am currently your host.”

“And some host you are,” Aoi grunted, his eyes flashing. “Say I listen to you – will I be able to go back home?”

“Not immediately. He will conclude whether you are a threat and then, if he decides you aren’t, the elders will have their say. They will be the ones to ultimately determine your fate, but believe me when I say you need as many people on your side as possible.”

Every species had their own elders, and together they decided on the laws of the land. They didn’t get involved often, but seeing how Ruki’s experiences with the elders of his own kind, where he had once been loved, had ended, Kai didn’t see why anyone would favour Aoi, a stranger, a _human_. Not unless others vouched for him, and the stronger they were, the better. Ruki had reached a power grand enough that the elders generally let him be – though the other nymphs weren’t too pleased about this – and Kai knew he’d side with them if for no other reason than that they were friends. Reita would as well. Uruha, however, would need much convincing, but if he did speak up for Aoi, it would be much better than if he remained quiet – or worse.

Kai bit his lip and squeezed Aoi’s arms. “I won’t let you die. Even if they- I know I failed at protecting you before, but I’ll find a way to keep you safe.” Hopefully.

Aoi rolled his eyes and shoved Kai’s arms away, then ran his hand through his hair. “Stop feeling guilty, it wasn’t all you.” Before Kai could do more than blink in surprise, Aoi continued. “You just do what you think is best and that’s all we can do.” He chuckled in disgust. “My king recently had a group of innocent foreign travellers murdered, as he believed they couldn’t be trusted. I suppose this is much the same, so I shouldn’t really complain. This time I’m on the other side… That’s all.”

Shoving aside the many questions he had following Aoi’s first words, Kai focused on the more important issue at hand: that of life and death. “Murder isn’t the answer. I do have a plan, though I can’t be sure it will work...” It all depended on how fond Uruha was of him and how believable he could be. “What do you think?”

“I think I don’t know what it is,” Aoi responded dryly. “But go for it, I don’t care. Anything is worth a shot, right?”

 

Although Uruha had allegedly been close, he still took another two hours to arrive. He did always enjoy doing everything at his own pace; apparently that was one thing that would never change, even now that he wasn’t far off from being king. Kai had discussed his plan with Aoi, who had shrugged and said it didn’t sound like much, but he’d take it. Always nice to have such a vote of confidence.

Once Uruha knocked on the door, Kai took one last look around. They had tidied as they waited, since a good outwardly impression couldn’t hurt (also because they had been bored and conversation had been fairly strained). It would do.

Squaring his shoulders, Kai opened the door and let Uruha in, stunned by his beauty as always. There was something about the elf, a certain aloofness that gave him an almost ethereal quality. They had become friends more through chance than anything else: a much younger Uruha had wandered away from his mother and panicked, when Kai – already independent even then, as incubi bred and then left their offspring to fend for themselves quite early – had encountered him and returned him to his home. They weren’t close, but they got along well, and Uruha had always respected Kai for his leadership (while incubi had elders, they were rather dormant, so Kai had taken it upon himself to take charge when needed).

“Good afternoon, my friend,” Uruha greeted with a bow.

“Prince Uruha, good day to you as always,” Kai replied, bowing down as well and then quickly taking Uruha’s cloak from him. “It’s a pleasure to see you.”

Uruha smiled vaguely and nodded, his eyes taking in the cabin and only lingering on a nervous Aoi for a moment. “As it is you, although I wish we could have met under better circumstances.” He sighed as he seated himself on a chair, adjusting his clothing as he did so. Once he was comfortable – and Kai sufficiently nervous – he looked over at Kai with sad eyes.

“Why are you keeping a human?” he asked softly, clearly disappointed. “You know our rules. Most importantly, you know what humans do to us.”

“What they _can_ do,” Kai corrected gently, kneeling down before Uruha and taking his hand. “I understand your fear,” the elf bristled at that word, “but I promise you Aoi is a good man.”

Uruha shook his head, closing his eyes as though he had realised there was no talking to Kai at this moment. “I thought you cared more about our people. How could you be this careless, Kai? We don’t bring humans here. The incubi and succubae have always been allowed to leave and feed, on the condition that they keep the humans uninformed and clueless – and uninvolved.”

“Some of us have chosen the human world,” Kai pointed out, “because they found a human they loved and trusted. It never interfered with the rest of us.”

Uruha narrowed his eyes and looked from Kai to Aoi, clenching his jaw. “You speak of love.”

That had been the entire plan: Kai had fallen for Aoi and had been unable to leave him, hence he had taken him home – even more so since Aoi himself had no home, which was the part that actually wasn’t a lie. Kai was heavily relying on Uruha’s friendship and loyalty here and on his wish for Kai’s happiness, which would hopefully be stronger than his hatred for Aoi.

“I…” As he looked into Uruha’s cold eyes, he suppressed a shudder. Perhaps he had hoped for too much as he came up with this plan. Forcing a bright, slightly sheepish, smile on his face, he blindly reached behind him and soon felt Aoi’s hand in his own as the human knelt down beside him. “It wasn’t planned, but…”

“Humans can’t survive the love of an incubus,” were Uruha’s blunt words. “You and I both know this. They die or the incubus leaves them, but it never lasts. Don’t be a fool for a few moments of pleasure you could get from anyone.”

“There are exceptions.” Kai thought of the lore, of the few incubi and succubae he had heard of who had, through the past millennia, successfully formed romantic and sexual relationships with humans. It had never been easy, but it hadn’t been impossible either. “You and I both know this wouldn’t be the only exception in our generation.”

Aoi shifted beside him, clearly wondering what on earth he was on about, but Uruha understood: being royalty, he was of course aware of Ruki’s background.

“Nevertheless, this is a risky game,” Uruha stated. “You should have come to us first, and to the elders, and we would have found a solution together. That is, if you are even speaking the truth.” His eyes fell on Aoi disdainfully. “Human!”

Startled, Aoi glanced over at Kai before lifting his eyes to look up at Uruha. Kai could almost feel his need to tell Uruha to call him by his name, but fortunately he merely pressed his lips together. Kai only hoped his eyes didn’t reveal his defiance.

Uruha sneered down at Aoi and folded his hands together. “Why have you come here? What is it you want?”

Aoi looked over at Kai, who squeezed his hand and nodded to indicate that he could speak, something that didn’t go unnoticed by Uruha.

“I’m here for Kai,” Aoi answered, his voice barely concealing his annoyance at the entire situation. “I don’t intend to start a war or to cause any trouble. In fact, no other humans even know I am here.”

“So you wish to tell me you gave up your entire life to be with an incubus?” Uruha raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow cynically. “I find that difficult to believe.”

“I don’t actually care,” Aoi replied with a shrug, ignoring Kai’s warning whispers. “What?” he asked Kai flatly as he climbed back to his feet. “He clearly won’t believe anything we say, so why should we bother trying to convince him?”

“He’s royalty, show some respect,” Kai hissed as he got up as well.

Uruha chuckled darkly. “Humans don’t know respect.” He moved upwards from his chair and reached out to take Kai’s hand, searching his face seriously. “Kai, I trust you to not risk our secrets for a nobody. However, I do wish you had better taste… Couldn’t you have stayed with your own kind?”

Kai smiled sadly at the realisation that Uruha was so intent on remaining narrow-minded. “You know incubi and succubae rarely stick together. I really expected you to be on my side, but I guess I was wrong.”

“Kai…” Uruha sighed as he dropped Kai’s hand and turned towards the door, adjusting his cloak. “I will always be on your side.” He glimpsed over at Aoi and curled his upper lip. “However, I will never be on his and I am afraid I cannot support your choice.” He waited for Kai to open the door and let him out, then looked back at Kai once more as he stood on the path outside. “Take care. Good luck with the elders and remember it is never too late to change your mind.”

Kai bowed at the waist, feeling disappointed that he hadn’t been able to get Uruha to accept Aoi, that Aoi hadn’t stuck to their plan of appeasing Uruha, and that Uruha had turned out to be so different from what he had hoped. “Thank you,” he said softly, “though I believe I could say the same to you.”

It was with a heavy heart that he watched Uruha mount his horse and ride off without ever looking back. He had possibly lost Uruha as his friend and an ally, Aoi could be condemned by the elders, and if the truth came out, Kai would be next. And all he could think was: now what?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took me so long! At least now all the introductions are out of the way and the story can pick up its pace. XD


End file.
